Experimental study for the detection of the “laminar/turbulent” aerodynamic transition on a wing aircraft, using fiber optic sensors

We demonstrate the feasibility of detection of the nature (laminar/turbulent/transitional) of the aerodynamic boundary layer of a profile of a wing aircraft model, using a Distributed FeedBack (DFB) Fiber Laser as optical fiber sensor. Signals to be measured are pressure variations : ΔP~1Pa at few 100Hz in the laminar region and ΔP~10Pa at few kHz in the turbulent region. Intermittent regime occurring in-between these two regions (transition) is characterized by turbulent bursts in laminar flow. Relevant pressure variations have been obtained in a low-speed research-type wind tunnel of ONERA Centre of Toulouse. In order to validate the measurements, a “classical” hot film sensor, the application and use of which have been formerly developed and validated by ONERA, has been placed at the neighborhood of the fiber sensor. The hot film allows measurement of the boundary layer wall shear stress whose characteristics are a well known signature of the boundary layer nature (laminar, intermittent or turbulent) [1]. In the three regimes, signals from the fiber sensor and the hot film sensor are strongly correlated, which allows us to conclude that a DFB fiber laser sensor is a good candidate for detecting the boundary layer nature, and thus for future integration in an aircraft wing. The work presented here has been realized within the framework of "Clean Sky", a Joint Technology Initiative of the European Union.